Observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel, the Arab world and beyond

LIBYA: Kadafi's eldest son may have escaped rebel captors

August 22, 2011 | 12:34
pm

Mohammed Kadafi, the eldest of Moammar Kadafi's seven sons, appears to have escaped rebel custody in Tripoli after he surrendered at his home late Sunday, according to reports by the Al Jazeera satellite news network.

Two of Kadafi's other sons, Seif Islam and Saadi Kadafi, both still appeared to be in rebel custody Monday.

Kadafi, 41, apparently escaped from the rebels with the help of Kadafi loyalists, who stormed the house where Kadafi was being held and freed him after clashes with guards, Al Jazeera reported.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Sunday, the head of the Libyan opposition had said that Mohammed Kadafi was taken into custody after he refused to surrender and his guards shot at rebels. One rebel was killed and one bodyguard was injured in the clashes, he said.

When an Al Jazeera reporter spoke with Mohammed Kadafi by phone afterward, he confirmed that he had surrendered to the rebels and said he had been treated well.

"Too much Libyan blood has been shed," he said. "I just hope that security and stability come to Libya."

Suddenly, as the audio interview was being broadcast, gunfire erupted in the background.

"I am being attacked right now. They are inside my house," Kadafi said.

Then the line went dead.

According to Al Jazeera, Mohammed Kadafi was living with his wife, children and mother, who had divorced his father.

Kadafi had been considered as a possible successor to his father. He leads the General Posts and Telecommunications Co., which owns and operates cellphone, satellite and Internet systems in Libya. After anti-government protests began in February, the company apparently severed Libya's Internet connections to the rest of the world.